Panel handler



R. L. PALMER PANEL HANDLER Dec. 18, 1956 Filed Aug. 1, 1955 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 11M VEN TUR Home: A. 1 /71 ME)? EYWQW ATTORNEY R. L. PALMER PANEL HANDLER Dec. 18, 1956 File d Aug. 1, 1955 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 1PM a HNVENTEIR P/CHAFJD A. PAL/nae By M Q W ATTORNEY pounds. 'long of this combined weight are exceedingly diificult United States PatentO PANEL HANDLER Richard L. Palmer, Indianapolis, 11111., assignor to Palmer This invention relates to a device generally incorporated in two companion structures for the purpose of quickly attaching and detaching the structure to panels such as sheets of wall board whether of the plaster type or of plywood; composition sheets; and even side walls of a prefabricated nature for buildings; and in fact for any panel of any conceivable material or nature even including sheet metal, which has to be handled in the panel form and particularly moved from shipping trucks to the job and then positioned at the zone where it is to be used.

The invention includes. a frame work which may be clamped to one or more of the panels as a unit, and this frame work carries wheels so that the weight of the panels to be moved is taken by the wheels, and moreover the package of panels, if there be more than one, may be wheeled about within very limited spaces such as are encountered particularly in frame houses where the studding is spaced on sixteen inch centers and the sheets or panels may be of quite long dimensions such for example as fourteen feet which is the dimension of one particular standard size of wall board.

it is generally conceded that the use of wall board for making what is termed dry wall finished walls where the boards themselves are preformed out of some material including gypsum, tend to become standard construction. This material comes in sheets of different lengths such as eight feet, ten feet, twelve feet, and fourteen feet, and in four foot widths. It is highly desirable to have the sheets in the longest possible lengths in order that the minimum number of taped joints occur in the wall or ceiling. The edges of these sheets of wall board are generally beveled and twdof these sheets are taped together in order to protect the edge-s and ends from becoming damaged during thefshipping and handling of those boards prior to installation on the studding in the building. Two of these sheets, fourteen feet long will weigh in the neighborhood of two hundred and sixty Also sheets four feet wide and fourteen feet to handle, and this difficulty in handling has been quite a problem, in fact so much of a problem, that there is considerable resistance in the selling and using of this material simply on account of the difliculty in taking the boards from a flat condition froma stack thereof, placing them on a truck also in a flat condition, and then removing the boards from the truck and carrying them into the building and into the particular room where the material will finally be used. It has required as many as threeor four men to handle a pair of these boards, and due to the fact it is extremely awkward to get hold of the boards, the laborer handling the boards puts himself under a terrible strain in respect to his back muscles in trying to carry these boards even after he has lifted them up from the stack and placed ICC to protect the edges and ends of the boards, because the gypsum boardmaterial is quite fragile when struck or knocked along the edges although it does make a good solidwall finish.

The present invention has arisen as means for overcoming the objections which have been found in'the handling of this material, so that it may be handled much easier and without the heretofore terrific strain on back muscles. While the invention is herein described in reference to the handling of wall board, as previously in-v dicated,-the material handled-will be in panels, but those panels may be of a wide range of material, and there fore the invention is not limited specifically to handling wall board.

The invention provides for protecting the edges and ends of the wall board in a very thorough and practical manner, and may be clamped to the panels when in their horizontally disposed positions, following which the panels may be lifted by grasping the structure clamped thereto, and slid off of the pile and down on to the wheels which are a part of the handling structure. Once the panels are on edge in this handling structure, they may be wheeled to the desired position as above indicated, particularly in view of-the fact that the structure incorporates a steering mechanism for the wheels in order that the panels may be shifted easily around corners and the like. The structure may be made at a relatively low cost and thus be within the range of permissible cost of handling of the panels particularly in view of the. saving in time of the laborer. 7

These and many other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent to those versed in the art in the following description of one particular form of the invention as illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which i Fig. 1 is a view inside elevation of a structure embodying the invention, and as applied to panels being moved;

Fig. 2 is a view in vertical section on the line 2-2 in Fig. 1; and

Fig. 3 is a detail in horizontal section on the line 3-3 in Fig. 2'.

A standard 10 may be selected to have any suitable structural form, herein shown as being tubular innature. To this standard 10 there is fixed by any suitable means such as by welding a horizontally disposed member 11, and from an outer end portion there is extended I a diagonal brace 12 joined to the member 11,-and also interconnected at its upper end with the standard 10. Preferably a gusset 13 is fixed in the upper angle between the brace member 12 and the standardltl.

An angle iron 14 is fixed to the outer end, along the side thereof, of the member 11 and is extended downwardly and thence horizontally into, the lower base member 15. The angle iron 14 with its base member 15 is disposed to have a fiat side against the members 10. and 11 to have a ledge or foot 16 turned outwardly therefrom, Fig. 2.

A post 46 is revolubly telescoped within the standard 10 whereby the standard 10 itself forms a bearing aroundthe post 46. On the lower end of the post 46 there is ably the wheel 18 is of that type having a pneumatic tire. A hearing washer 20 is interposed between the top side of the yoke 17 and the lower end of the tube or standard 10.

On the outer end of the member 11, there is fixed a handle 21. Also a handle 22 is provided to extend from the standard 10 on an axis substantially at right angles to the axis of the handle 21. The handle 22 however is not fixed to the standard 10,. but is carried through a 3 slot 23 extending a distance horizontally around the standard 10, and then the inner end of the handle 22 screw-threadedly engages in :the post 46 in its upper end, Fig. 2. Thus, by rocking the handle 22 horizontally within the limits of the slot 23 the post 46 may be turned about its axis within the standard 10, and consequently the wheel 18 will be correspondingly turned.

A suitable clamping device is carried by the upper end portion of the standard 10, whereby the panels may be gripped between a member of that clamping device and the angle iron member 15. In the present illustration of the invention, there is a short length of tube 24 secured in parallel alignment along the upper end portion of the standard 10, and on that side to which the upper end of the diagonal brace 12 may be secured such as by welding. A plunger 25 is slidingly carried in the tube 24, and on its upper end there is fixed thereto a short length of angle iron 26 to have a horizontally extending leg 27 on the side removed from the. plunger 25. Thus, by shifting the plunger 25 upwardly and downwardly, the angle iron 26 may likewise be shifted.

The angle iron 26 is in the nature of a clamp jaw.

The plunger 25 extends downwardly through the tube 24 and has a link 28 rockably connected therewith to extend around and straddle an operating lever 29 which is pivoted by a relatively upper end to the standard 10 by any suitable means such as by the pin 39. The link 28 is connected to the lever 29 at a distance relatively below the pin 39 by a pin 31, Fig. 2. The relative locations of the pins 3% and 31 are given as existing when the lever 29 is in its downmost position as indicated in Fig. 2, which will be the clamped position and, by rocking the lever 29 outwardly about its pivot 39, the link 28 is likewiserrocked outwardly by its lower end, and upon sufiicient upward travel of lever 29 the link 28 will push the plunger 25 upwardly and thus shift the angle iron 25 a greater distance from the lower foot 16 of the lower base member 15, Fig. 2.

The structure so far described is generally designated by the numeral 36. A second structure designated by the numeral 35 is identically formed with the exception that it would be left hand structure as opposed to the structure 36 which is a right hand structure. The structure 35 would be used on the same side of the panel 37 as is the structure 36, but at the opposite end portion thereof, as shown in Fig. 1.

In using the structure embodying the invention, the structures 35 and 36 will be brought up and laid down over the panel 37 when it is in its pile or stack, to have the angle iron 14 brought up against the edge 38 of the panel, and to have the foot 16 likewise brought up against the side .edge 39. The lever 29 is rocked upwardly and around toward the tube 24 so as to extend the angle iron 26 beyond the opposite edge of the panel 37 to allow the leg 27 to drop down over that edge 40 whereupon the lever. 29 is rocked around and back into the position as indicated in Fig. 2 whereby the panel 37 is securely clamped between the angle iron 26 and the leg 16 of the lower base member 15. The legs. 15 and 27 particularly are preferably covered with a rubber-like material 42 secured to those angle iron members as indicated in Fig. 2, wherein. the rubber protector has an outer bead or rib 41 extending from a ribbon 42 of the material. The Width of the ribbon 42 plus the head 41 is made to be such that the material being handled, herein shown as two of the panels 37.; Fig. 2, will be gripped by their opposing side edges 39 and 40 and have the head 41 be on the outer base of the second panel so that as the material 42 is squeezed into clamping action, this bead 41 in both instances will tend to crowd around on the back side or face of the panel 37 and thereby aid in securing the panels in afixed position on the angle iron foot 16 gripped thereagainst by the top clamped angle iron 26. Not only does the material 42 serve that purpose, but also it greatly aids in preventing damage to the edges of the panels'37.

After both of these structures 35 and 36 have thus bee clamped to the panels 37 the panels may be lifted by the edge side 40, the panels slid laterally over the stack and then the panels may be rocked around to the vertical position, or before that, slid down skids onto the ground or floor to have the wheels 18 then take the load whereupon the panels 37 may be brought to the vertically disposed position and then the entire device may be manipulated by two men only who will grip the handles 21 and 22 of each of the structures, and thus maintain the vertically disposed positions while the device is wheeled to the desired location of restacking or using these panels. At that place, all that needs to be done is to lift the levers 29 so as to relieve the compressive engagement of the structures 35 and 36 with the panels, following which release, the structures may be lifted off of the panels and then returned quickly and easily to bring in the next panel or pair of panels as the case may be. Due to the fact that the handles 22 particularly are of short lengths, just long enough to be gripped by a hand, the panels being carried by these structures may be wheeled into the house without having to turn corners through narrowly defined hallways and the like, by taking this structure through and between opposed studs from one defined room to another. Both operators may steer the device by turning the Wheels 18 by means of the handle 22 in each case, or if desirable, the operator at the rear end of the panels may do the steering from the back end so as to kick the panels around to either side as may be desired. Of course, the entire assembly of panels and these handling structures may be shifted laterally easily by sliding the wheels on the floor when corners cannot be turned quick enough within the limits of steering as controlled by the hori- Zontal length of the slot 23 in the standard 10.

Therefore, it is to be seen that I have produced an exceedingly simple and yet most effective device for handling panels, which as I have indicated above, may be of any material other than the wall board of the plaster type as employed in defining the invention, all with a minimum of effort and particularly the minimum of lifting. Moreover, the panels particularly the wall board material of gypsum content may be transported from the factory to the distributor and from the distributor to the job all without damage to the end edges and side edges, which damage has heretofore been of a serious nature.

The lower edges of the panels 37 tend to imbed themselves somewhat in the resilient member 42 carried by the foot 16, between the bead 41 and the base member 15. The clamp jaw 26 is preferably made to have its panel contacting face inclined downwardly and outwardly in relation to the plunger 25. By reason of this inclination, the upper edges of the panel 37 are urged toward the standard 10.

While I have herein shown and described my invention in the one particular form, it is obvious that many structural changesmay be employed such as in the shapes of the structural members, the mounting of the wheels, and the specific clamping mechanism, all without departing from the spirit of the invention, and I therefore do not desire to be limited to that precise form beyond the limitations which may be imposed by the following claims.

I claim:

1. A unit for handling panels comprising a standard; a Wheel mounted at the lower end of the standard; a member secured to the standard and extending laterally therefrom; a substantially right angled member of angle iron form, said right angled member having an upright length secured to said first member remotely from said standard, and a horizontal length secured to said standard below said first member, each of said lengths having a leg lying in a common plane and another leg extending in a common direction therefrom, said legs receiving a corner portion of said panel thereagainst; a clamp jaw slidingly carried by an upper portion of said standard, said jaw having a leg also turned in said direction; and means shifting said jaw in directions parallel to said standard for engagement and disengagement with a panel edge opposite said horizontal length leg.

2. The structure of claim 1 in which there is a resilient member along said horizontal length leg and also on said clamp jaw bearing against said panel, said resilient member has a rib along an outer edge thereof restraining shifting of the panel laterally in respect to said horizontal length leg and said jaw.

3. The structure of claim 1 in which there is a post axially revolubly carried by said standard, and said wheel is mounted on said post.

4. The structure of claim 3 in which a handle engages said post to turn said post to steer said wheel.

5. The structure of claim 4 in which said standard is tubular and said post telescopes within the standard; said standard being transversely slotted, and said handle having a portion extending through the standard slot and engaging said post thereby retaining said post against longitudinal travel in the standard.

6. A unit for moving panels comprising a framework having an upright angle iron form to engage and protect an end of a panel, and a horizontally disposed angle iron form upon which a lower edge of a panel may rest; a wheel carried by said framework below said horizontal form; a clamp member carried by an upper portion of said framework mounted in opposition to said horizontal form to engage an upper edge of said panel; means drawing said clamp member downwardly into panel engagement; said upright and horizontally disposed forms intersecting one another at substantially right angles; a standard extending approximately parallel to said upright form and spaced horizontally therefrom along said horizontal form; a member interconnecting said standard and said upright form spaced above said horizontally disposed form; and said clamp member is located at the upper portion of said standard thereby spacing the clamp member a distance along the panel from said panel end.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 897,853 Von Scheidt Sept. 1, 1908 2,008,887 Venables July 23, 1935 2,235,044 Ronning Mar. 18, 1941 2,578,376 Smith Dec. 11, 1951 2,709,084 Nagaishi May 24, 1955 

